Taiwanese owner and operator Dong Fang Offshore (DFO) has returned to Fincantieri-controlled Norwegian shipbuilder Vard for at least one subsea construction vessel.
The subsidiary of Hung Hua Construction, with a fleet of more than 15 offshore vessels, is paying €113.5m ($126m) to see the firm vessel delivered in the second quarter of 2027, but it has also secured options for additional newbuilds.
The vessel has been designed for subsea operation duties, offshore wind operations and maintenance activities, as well as cable installation and repair scopes in the offshore wind and telecoms sectors.
The 121.3 m-long ship will be fitted with a 250 MT active heave compensated offshore crane, a 1,200 sq m work deck prepared for a cable repair or cable lay spread, and ROV hangars prepared for built-in ROVs on both sides. The unit is also prepared for the installation of a motion-compensated gangway, an under-deck carousel, the installation of a large trencher and a helideck.
This is the third vessel Vard is building for DFO, with the first two being commissioning service operations vessels, contracted last May.
The ship’s hull will be built in Vard Shipyards Romania – Braila, while the outfitting, commissioning and delivery will be from Vard Søviknes in Norway.
